Friday, October 27th, 2023

Dear Friend, 

At this week's Board of Supervisor's meeting, I was proud to present a joint Board Matter with Supervisor Penny Gross for Military Family Appreciation Month in November. As a son of an Army veteran and a grandson to a Navy veteran, I understand our military families are an integral part of our community and I want to ensure that our active duty, reserve, and veteran military families have the resources they need to transition, live, and thrive here in Fairfax County.


I'm encouraging our military families with children in Fairfax County Public Schools to return your Federal Impact Aid Survey. To make it easier, the form is now available online in SIS ParentVUE. For more information, please click here.


I hope you enjoy the beautiful fall foliage and weather and I want to wish you a happy and safe Halloween. Please review the Halloween 2023 Guide for safety tips.


If you have any questions or concerns, please contact my office. 

Email: Franconia@fairfaxcounty.gov

Phone 703-971-6262


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Table of Contents

  1. Early Voting Satellite Sites Open 10/26
  2. Halloween 2023 Guide
  3. Hire Vets Now Networking and Hiring Fair 11/1
  4. Friends of Kingstowne Library Big Book Sale 11/4
  5. Plant Nova Trees
  6. Best Pumpkin Patches for Fall



Out and About


  1. Street Smart Safety Campaign
  2. Whole Foods Market Visit


In Case You Missed It (ICYMI)


  1. Fort Belvoir's Retiree Appreciation Day 10/27
  2. National Prescription Drug Take Back Day 10/28
  3. Task Force on the Future of Lake Accotink - Next Meeting 11/6

Early voting is happening now for the Nov. 7 general election. 

Local and state offices are on the ballot, but you don't have to wait until Election Day to vote. there are 16 early voting sites open daily through Saturday, Nov. 4, which is the last day to cast your ballot early. The Franconia Governmental Center will be open from 1 to 7 p.m. weekdays and early voting will be offered on Saturday Oct. 28 from 9 to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 29 from 1 to 5 p.m., plus Saturday, Nov. 4 from 9 to 5 p.m.


There is also a $435 million public school bond on the ballot. If approved, the public schools’ plans include using this money to plan and design, renovate and build schools.


Early Voting Begins Sept. 22 for the Nov. 7 General Election | News Center (fairfaxcounty.gov)

Halloween 2023 Guide


Some communities, cities and counties designate a day other than Oct. 31 for trick-or-treating. Fairfax County Government does NOT set a different date. Halloween is Tuesday, Oct. 31. Your homeowner’s association or apartment complex may set other times for events, but neighborhood trick-or-treating is the evening of Oct. 31.


Please review the guide below for safety tips for trick or treating! Click here for the 2023 Guide.

HIRE VETS NOW - Networking and Hiring Fair


If you are a military spouse, transitioning service member or veteran looking for a career in the civilian sector, join us for the HIRE VETS NOW networking and hiring fair on Fort Belvoir!


  • Meet Virginia employers dedicated to hiring military talent
  • Connect with DOD-approved SkillBridge opportunities
  • Enjoy a FREE lunch in a casual environment
  • Find out about upskilling resources and providers


Register HERE

Friends of Kingstowne Library are having their Big Book Sale on Saturday, November 4th from 10-3 p.m.


You can fill a bag for $7! (excludes gems)

All proceeds support the Kingstowne Library located at 6500 Landsdowne Centre.

Plant Nova Trees


An important goal of our community is to plant more native trees, and autumn is the best time to do that. Most of the places that need trees are on private property. Learn more on the Plant NOVA Trees website.

Best Pumpkin Patches For Fall


Visit Fairfax shares the six best pumpkin patches to visit this fall!



Out and About

Street Smart Safety Campaign


On Wednesday, I spoke at the Street Smart safety campaign launch to raise awareness of pedestrian/bicycle safety issues and increased enforcement of laws that protect people walking and biking. Fall and winter months bring less daylight and darker commuting hours, which can lead to more crashes between drivers and pedestrians or bicyclists. Street Smart is launching a fall safety campaign to remind Washington-area drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians about the human toll of not following traffic laws and offer tips on how everyone can travel safely through the region.

We also rode the bus and participated in a demonstration for the new ZICLA bus platform, which allows bike riders, walkers and bus riders to share the road safely.


Street Smart Press Release

Whole Foods Market Visit


On my lunch break earlier this week, I had a site tour of Whole Foods Market, the new anchor store in Springfield Plaza. I wanted to give a special thank you to the store manager and his staff for taking time out of their day to show us all your store has to offer. Since relocating from their previous site, they have been able to expand their offerings in their 49,000 sq. ft. property. Did you know that their in-house coffee bar is the number one producer in the entire Whole Foods chain?! And they also have an Amazon.com locker, where you can not only pick up packages, but you can also process your returns – which makes for a convenient way to return items without having to package them up. I hope you’ll stop by their new location and check it out for yourself!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT (ICYMI)

Fort Belvoir Retiree

Appreciation Day

Are you a military retiree? You're invited to Fort Belvoir's Annual Retiree Appreciation Day Friday, October 27th from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m at Wells Field House, Building 1810, 2104 Goethals Rd, Fort Belvoir, VA. Veteran Services, Tricare, DFAS, MDV, AARP, AUSA, GEHA, Blue Cross/Blue Shield & more will be present as subject matter experts. There will also be a health fair with flu shots and lite refreshments and a bagged lunch will be provided. the event continues at 2 p.m. at the Fort Belvoir Exchange for a cake cutting. POC: RSO 703-806-4551

Saturday, October 28th is National Drug Take Back Day! Safely dispose of your unused or expired medications at any of the locations below between 10am and 2pm:


  • Franconia District Station – 6121 Franconia Road, Alexandria
  • West Springfield District Station – 6140 Rolling Road, Springfield
  • Mount Vernon District Station – 2511 Parkers Lane, Alexandria


This Drug Enforcement Administration initiative educates our community about the potential for abuse of prescription medications while providing a safe, convenient, and responsible means for disposing of unused and expired medication.

For more information about the Drug Take Back Initiative, click here.

Task Force on the Future of Lake Accotink


This Task Force has been established in response to Fairfax County staff’s recommendation that Lake Accotink not be dredged.


The next meeting of the full Task Force will be held on Monday, November 6, at 7:00 p.m. in Conference Room 11 at the Fairfax County Government Center. Consultant LimnoTech will provide an update on their examination of the questions posed by the community and Task Force. The subcommittees will provide preliminary reports on their findings in preparation for a final Task Force Findings Report to be formalized on December 4.


Meetings are open to the public and interested community members are welcome to attend to observe the Task Force’s work or live stream the meetings on Channel 16. Recordings of previous meetings, meeting materials, minutes, and a full list of upcoming meetings of both the Task Force and subcommittees can be found on the Task Force on the Future of Lake Accotink webpage.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

Rodney L. Lusk

Franconia District Supervisor

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